How does Google penalize keyword stuffing when you change your business listing’s name?
A recent Case Study from Sterling Sky offers some of the main pros and cons of keyword stuffing in GMB.
However, there are still a few things that we would like to add regarding this topic.
GMB Keyword stuffing
Keyword stuffing is a common practice in Local SEO because it gives you an advantage on Google Maps and the 3-pack.
This recent study from MyLocalSEOGuide, as well as other sources, have confirmed that keyword insertion is important for ranking purposes.
Many local search engine marketers say that it is important to include prominent keywords in your Google My Business Name. A recent Moz Survey found a majority of respondents listed this as the most important element for successful Local SEO, along with proximity and category.
However, be aware that going against Google’s guidelines (like stuffing keyword phrases into your GMB page) will result in suspension or deletion from their indexing services; so if you are following best practices already then there isn’t much need to change anything about how you saved/named your business on GMB – just keep up the good work!
How Google Does Penalize Keyword Stuffing
According to Colan Nielsen, VP of Local Search at Sterling Sky Inc:
-Google has let a business add keywords back to its name on GMB as many as 8 times after being removed, without taking any kind of action such as a warning or soft suspension.
– Google sent out warnings (no punishments) to those who were adding too many words in their title and descriptions for evidence that they had been abusing the system. However, these are not applied equally: keyword stuffing 60% of the time warrants only one email whereas doing so 20% will get you suspended from listing your company’s information on this website entirely.
-It’s fairly easy for business owners with Google My Business listings to convince Google that their keywords are a part of its name by simply adding them in some way on their website or using photos on GMB that have an inclusion of logos.
– The user, when faced with a hard suspension from Google, just created another one. In case this new listing was also suspended and in spite of the fact that they had been suspended before for creating two listings; the person made three more pages in quick succession.
Image Credits to Sterling Sky Inc
Future Trends with Google My Business
We believe Google wants the best user experience on the web. Because of this, we have faith that will be a local algorithm that rolls out at some point in time that devalues keyword-heavy business names.
Keyword stuffing on the local 3pack has been an issue for many years now as well and it is finally about to get sorted thanks to their new localized pack! As more credible businesses populate into this section, Google should want less spammy ones so you know they are doing what’s right by us users.
Successful brands have put in a lot of hard work, time, and resources into their growth. And if you want to be successful as well, that’s what it takes: being prepared for the long haul which will require dedication on your part too!
Here are our top tips to help you leverage your brand so that people take notice instead of just ignoring it because they see dozens like yours every day:
👉You should refrain from keyword stuffing your name for the sake of being different and unique. It will not take long to become just another one in a crowd, especially considering how easily competitors can do it themselves with little effort or care about their own names when they are so easy to come and go.
👉You may get competitors’ bad reviews. Their angry customers might confuse you with your competition, negatively affecting the reputation of both companies and reducing sales for all parties involved.
👉You have to be on your toes when it comes to competition. Your customers could also make mistakes, like getting their wires crossed and giving you a good review instead of the business down the street!
👉Many people may think you and your competitors belong to the same organization. This can lead to confusion over local branding, leading many customers to be confused when deciding (for example) which restaurant they want for lunch or dinner.
👉From a user perspective, it’s annoying to see all the results on an app pack appear under one umbrella. This can result in less engagement rates over time as people grow tired of seeing similar items.
👉Citation audits may be tougher and an auditor might find your local listings mixed in amongst others that are not yours. Google could confuse some of those similar citations under a similar name as well, which is why it’s important to keep these things sorted out ahead of time and in high consideration.
👉You are lowering way down the number of brand searches that Google could count and recognize in your favor, recognizing your niche as a very well-established market leader. Because of your generic broad name, Google likely will hedge its search results with businesses other than yours just in case the person wasn’t searching for their business.
👉Having fewer brand searches could be like losing potential customers if they had seen you listed among other related searches.
👉”A good name can be the difference between a company that fades into obscurity and one with staying power.” That’s according to marketing consultant, Johnathan Stewart. With so many companies out there vying for customer attention these days, it’s important not just to have a catchy brand but also an easily memorable business name. In this day of digital media overload where consumers are bombarded by messages in their inboxes every hour on the hour from businesses they never knew existed before today, you want your message remembered over all those other emails!
👉We still don’t know how this aspect will be treated by the algorithm, so it seems like we should choose considering all instead of always!
The Bottom Line
Following trends and trying to outperform competitors by doing the same things they do is not enough.
Find an area where you can start something different, be original in one way or another – don’t simply hope that your products will stand out amidst a sea of brands.
To maximize chances for success, know what you’re all about and act according to your core values with social responsibility at heart!
SEO Lover, my motto is Action Over Words.
